Dream Mist
by tigersndragons
Summary: Ten year old Ash Ketchum retires from travelling after his Kalos Journey, thinking he has seen everything there is. However, after a shocking event, Ash is wound into a future of grief, misery, and dreams?
1. Chapter 1

**Basic Information**

Rating: **K+ - T **(Mild Suggestive Themes, Angst, Mild Swearing, Cartoon Violence)

Shippings: VERY STRONG **Amourshipping** (Ash x Serena) No Lemons.

* * *

_Here we are, another fanfiction!_

_After my last success with my Arthur fanfic, Battle Royale Retribution, I thought it was time to try something else._

_To tell you the truth, with Pokémon... I do love Pokémon, but I do tend to avoid romantic stories, I can't write them._

_But with Amourshipping, I really ship it! It's so cute, I just can't resist it! _

_I always feel my heart melting into my stomach whenever I see any Amourshipping fan art._

_P.S. Ash's Pokémon in this episode are just PREDICTIONS of XY. Look at the time._

_Well, I've said enough. Enjoy!_

* * *

**ACT 1: DREAMS**

* * *

Chapter 1: Lost

Ten year old Ash had already said goodbye to all his friends that day.

"Goodbye, and I hope we meet again!" Ash said. Serena hugged him, Bonnie then joined into the huggage, with Clemont finally joining in last.

The group hugged for a while, then the group started to break apart from one another, one by one.

"I guess this is the end. We've been through a lot, haven't we?" he said.

"You bet!" Bonnie yelped, "Although we didn't quite find Clemont a wife yet!"

"BONNIE!" snapped Clemont. Even Pikachu was saying goodbye to its Pokémon friends. "Pika pii!" (Goodbye!) as it shook Fennekin's paw.

"I'm really going to miss you." Serena suddenly burst out, in tears. She then grabbed Ash into one last hug, and didn't let go for a long time. Ash was taken aback, as he felt water drip on his shoulder. Serena's tears.

Soon, the hug was pulled off, and Ash then said,

"Well then, goodbye..."

As he boarded the plane, he thought about all the memories of this journey. As the plane taxied on the runway, Ash's friends waved at him. Ash waved back, hoping he was going to see them again. Then, the plane finally took off and entered the atmosphere. Ash still felt something missing in him though.

**THE END**

* * *

_Yes... I am breaking the fourth wall..._

Just as the two words showed up on the screen of a television, a lone Pokémon fan, who was once lounging on his couch lazily watching the last episode of Pokémon, stood up, and held his mouth open in shock. Then, the shock turned to anger;

"WHAT THE HELL! WHAT HAPPENED TO AMOURSHIPPING! THE ANIMATORS ARE SO DAMN STUPID NOT TO REALIZE THAT THEY ASH AND SERENA GO PERFECT TOGETHER! AAARRRGGHHHH!" yelled the Pokémon fan.

The Pokémon fan started taking every magazine on his coffee table and starting chucking it at his cat, who was lounging on the rug right at the doorstep. "GO AWAY YOU STUPID CAT! I DON'T WANT YOU TO SEE YOU AGAIN! YAARGH!"

_Yes, it seems our Poké fan was having a bit of a temper tantrum as a popular shipping the WHOLE shipping world was expecting didn't happen in his favourite anime show, but..._

_You didn't think the story would end there now, did you?_

* * *

**Two months later...**

Ash had been lounging about a bit too. No new region to explore: He had just explored every place that he knew. Pikachu was cradled onto the couch, its face pounded into Ash's stomach. So what else was there to do? Well, nothing but hang around in Pallet Town all day! As he was watching some Saturday Morning Cartoons, when his mother, Mrs. Ketchum, came in from grocery shopping, seeing he was lying down on his sofa.

"Ash," his mother began, "I have to admit, that I'm not used to just having you stay here for a very long period of time. What's up?"

"Mom," nagged Ash, "You know why I've been around here for two long months! I've explored pretty much EVERY region in this whole country! What else is there to explore?"

"Well then," said his mother gracefully, "Lemme get out some brochures and show you all the other regions you travelled."

She went down to the basement to find brochures. Just then, the phone rang.

"Ash! I'm a bit preoccupied at the moment. Can you pick up the phone?" his mother exclaimed from the basement.

"AAAAGH..." Ash moaned, as he got up from his morning state to pick up the phone. "Hello?" It was Clemont.

"Hey Ash!"

"Hey, Clemont, everything good?"

"Not too well, I'm afraid," replied Clemont, "Listen to me, I know this is going to be hard to hear, but Serena..."

"What?" Ash interrupted, "What?"

"Serena..." Clemont said gravely, "Serena is dying..."

"WHAT!?" Ash repeated louder. Shock rung out of his head. Someone he cared for, for such a long time, was near death.

"WHAT HAPPENED?" screamed Ash into the microphone.

"Serena has some rare disease... I don't know..." Clemont said painfully.

"Tell EVERYONE that I'll be in Kalos right away!"

"But..." Clemont was about to spew out a few words, but Ash was already rushing up to his room to pack.

* * *

Packing quickly, Ash Ketchum threw everything he needed in his bag, map, passport, oh, he also found an extra plane ticket to Lumiose City while he was at it as well. As soon as Ash was all packed, he made a beeline for the door.

"Oh, Aaaaash!" Mrs. Ketchum shouted as she was walking up the basement steps, carrying a box full of travel brochures and programs. "Look what I found!"

"CAN'T STAY MOM, GOING TO KALOS. SERENA DYING. LONG STORY. GOTTA GO!" blabbered Ash, as he bolted out the door, with Pikachu in tow.

Delia Ketchum scratched her head. "Wow. First he's so inactive, the next he's jumping up and around. Kids." she chuckled as she dropped the box and continued her house chores.

* * *

_Wew! First chapter! Pretty good huh?_

_What do you think is going to happen next?_


	2. Chapter 2

**_Pretty decent amount of views._**

**_O_O _**

**_Gotta write it all!_**

* * *

**Chapter 2: A Heavy Heart**

As Ash Ketchum is flying on the plane, one deep thought sticks in his mind, ignoring the noise from the plane's engine.

_'Don't die on me now, Serena!'_

Pikachu, trying to comfort his companion, patted his back, just as the plane touches down on the runway, he is jumping up and down, not being able to stand still, regardless of the nagging of the Flight Attendant.

"Sir, please sit down! The plane hasn't touched down yet!"

"My friend is dying! I REALLY have to hurry up," pleaded Ash.

"I know how you feel," the Flight Attendant said concernedly. "I lost my husband a year ago. You are a good friend, you're seeing him before he dies." Ash had NO time to say that his friend was a 'she'. He bolted down the stairs, hailing a taxi to rush him over to the Lumiose City Hospital. As the taxi pulled over, the driver asked, "Hey kid. You have to battle me before you can get in!"

"NO TIME!" Ash screamed, practically yelling the driver's hat off, "MY FRIEND IS DYING! STEP ON IT!"

"Oh... sorry. Battle later?" To which Ash agreed.

The cab sped up toward a big blue building, with huge glass windows, you could swear it was engulfed in it! Ash could make out the words on the sign: LUMIOSE CITY GENERAL HOSPITAL.

Hauling Pikachu, Ash rushed up the long steps, hurrying up but carefully trying not to trip. As he got to the top of the steps, he rushed into the building, LITERALLY busting through the doors of the hospital, making a Tauros charge toward the receptionist's desk. In fact, the receptionist was bracing for him, in case Ash collided into her! Luckily, Ash made a beeline stop, and the receptionist relaxed and breathed a sigh of relief.

"Serena Yvonne," Ash spoke quickly. "Room?"

"Alright, Serena Yvonne..." the receptionist scanned her computer. "Level 6, Room 13."

"Thank you." Ash tipped his cap as he rushed towards the elevator. He jabbed the 6 button so much you swear he was going to break it.

* * *

The elevator opened.

Ash slowly moved his way through the hospital floor. Maybe Serena was already dead! Maybe he had been too late! Maybe...

_'Get ahold of yourself, Ash.'_ he mumbled to himself.

"Pika Chu? (Is everything alright?)" Pikachu asked in concern. Ash did not reply. He just kept walking, step by step, toward Room 13. The hospital was littered with all KINDS of people, amputees, people with flu, and even people with life-threatening sicknesses. The thought made Ash sick to his stomach. When Ash finally got to the door, he slowly crept open the door, and he eventually opened his eyes. Serena, reduced to a gown and hospital bed, was asleep, with Clemont, Bonnie, and her mother standing by her bedside. Her mother was in tears.

"Ash!" Clemont and Bonnie exclaimed in surprise when he showed up.

"De-nee!" squeaked Dedenne, as he cheek rubbed with Pikachu.

"We're seriously worried about Serena though. She might only have days to live!" explained Clemont.

"WHAT!" screamed Ash.

"Shhh..." said Grace, Serena's mother. "She's asleep." Silence, nothing but silence filled the room for a solid five minutes. Then Grace whispered into Ash's ear.

"Can I talk to you outside?" asked Grace.

"Huh?" Ash wondered, _'Why would she want to talk to me?'_

"Alright. Pikachu, stay here and watch Serena!" commanded Ash.

"Pika pika! (Yes, Ash!)" Pikachu yelped, solemnly. Ash walked outside of the room, where he found Grace standing outside, crying.

"What's wrong, ma'am?" Ash asked.

"Oh Ash _*sniff*,_ I just wanted to tell you something." Grace said tearfully.

"My daughter was always been very rebellious against me," Grace rambled. "I don't know... _*sniff*_ I don't know if it was because I made her Rhyhorn Race, or anything... _*sniff* _I've been a pretty horrible mother, and I can never apologize for everything I did wrong, whatever it was."

"C'mon, Mrs. Yvonne! You've been great!" Ash consoled, patting her back.

"No," Grace said. "You'll never understand._ *sniff*_ Once she got home from Kalos, Serena was a totally changed person. She saw the outside world. She was less rebellious towards me after the journey. And you know why?"

Ash nodded. He never guessed.

"You, _*sniff*."_ Grace sobbed, pointing toward him. "You were the point of stability in her life. _*sniff*_ You changed her."

"Are you sure?" Ash couldn't believe what he was hearing.

"It's not that _*sniff*_ clearcut, Ash." Grace sobbed, "I could really tell when you were on your journey. It became so obvious. **She loves you**."

Ash couldn't believe it. It had been so obvious, yet he never realized anything. Ash and Grace soon made their way into the room, where Serena was already awake from a snooze.

Then Clemont said, "Well, I'd better get going. It's almost lunchtime. You coming, Ash?"

Ash stayed, frozen in Grace's words. _"She loves you."_ Was it true? That he had to find for himself.

"I think I'll stay." Ash said. "I'll catch up. You guys have been here longer than I have."

Then, he turned to Pikachu. "Pikachu, why don't you go with Clemont and Bonnie now? I'll catch up to you as soon as I can."

"Pika! (YES!)" Pikachu didn't seem too bothered about that, after all, that meant more time with Dedenne!

"Okay. See ya later!" Clemont added, as he headed out.

"Bye, Ash!" Bonnie said.

"De-den!" Dedenne yelped.

Soon, it was only Ash, Grace, and Serena in that room. After simply checking on Serena just to be sure everything was alright, Grace finally said,

"Oh, will you look at the time! I have to get somewhere. See you two later." She winked at Ash on her way out.

_'Ohhhhh...'_ thought Ash, _'THAT'S what she meant to do.'_

Ash made his way to the chair besides Serena's bedside.

"You alright?" Ash asked.

"A little, I guess." Serena said, shivering.

"So what is the problem?" pondered Ash. He didn't know how to approach the topic of love, so he tried to stall with a question.

"Oh," Serena explained, "It's something called Cubchoo Disease. The body somehow _*shivers*_ drops far beyond the average body temperature and it can't be cured, and it can't be warmed up later. If I fall too low, I get hypothermia and die. I have a feeling my blood cells are going to give away soon, anyways."

Ash started to tear up, and he leaped onto her with one hug. They both began to tear up, for a very long time. Then, they broke the hug, and Serena then spoke,

"Can I tell you a secret, Ash?"

"What?" answered Ash. But there was pretty much no point of asking. He knew what it was about anyways.

"Before I die, *shiver* I just want to say, _I love you. _I loved you since you saved me in that forest when we were younger. I just wanted you to know that, before I leave the earth."

_'So it was true.'_ Ash said nothing, but he felt himself nudge slightly closer than normal. Then their lips met.

Serena was feeling cold, and it was time for Ash to warm her up. It was a slight kiss, with Ash feeling her cold body to the fullest extent. It was his first kiss, and the coldest one, to that extent, but he didn't care, hot or cold, as long he was with her. Soon, they broke the kiss, but in time too, as a doctor came in shortly after.

"Hello, am I interrupting anything?" asked the doctor.

"Nope, it's good." Ash stated.

"Okay. that's good," the doctor said, "I just need to check her heart rate, hopefully it's up to check, cause it's been feeling low."

"Okay. I was going to leave soon anyways." Ash said, picking up his things, ready to leave. "Bye Serena."

"Bye." Serena said, a bit weaker but more content than before. Ash left to catch up with Clemont, Bonnie, and Pikachu, but he also left the hospital holding a heavy heart.

* * *

**_Now tensions start to rise!_**

**_I'm surprised how many views I have on this one, thanks for the support! Also to vanilla869, you wanted me to explain Serena's disease, there. Might sound a bit Farfetch'd (ha), but I guess it'll do!_**


	3. Chapter 3

Yet_ ANOTHER chapter._

_I have no life. I got enough time to finish TWO chapters today. Anyways: Here you go._

* * *

Chapter 3: Grieve

As Ash walked, lonely by himself on the streets of Lumiose City, he was thinking about the kiss, and how long Serena was going to live. He never noticed it before, but he was never aware that Serena was that beautiful. Her blue, sparkling eyes, her long brown hair she left straight but curled, her cute hat and red skirt, and to think, that this girl, rather, woman, would love him, never crossed his mind yet.

He couldn't believe that he hadn't had the opportunity to get with Serena when she was in the red skirt and black shirt, now, it was too late, She'd be in a hospital gown, and eventually, a coffin.

"Damn. I was so stupid not to realize it myself," scolded Ash to himself. "I should've noticed it sooner. Not at this stage of life. She is dying, and her wish was to be with me. Why didn't I make it happen?"

He tried to receive some of his mental sanity as he turned into the electrical shop of Limone, Clemont and Bonnie's father.

Clemont and Bonnie were having a sushi boat lunch, with Pikachu, Dedenne, and Fennekin, who were staring at some burnt poffins, sadly.

"Huh?" Ash asked, remorsefully, "Why is Fennekin here, and two, what's with the burnt poffins?

"Um..." Clemont stuttered, "Long story."

"Since our dad wasn't here, and Serena wasn't here to cook Poffins," Bonnie stated with glee, "I made them myself!"

"BONNIE!" Clemont snapped, embarrassed. Then he looked back at Ash, remembering the other question. "Oh, didn't you hear, we're taking Fennekin in for Serena while she's in the hospital!"

"No offence," Ash started, as he picked up one of the burnt poffins, "but I think our Pokémon are going to get sick eating this..." Everybody stood silent again, which seemed way too common.

Then Bonnie started crying.

"Why are you crying," Clemont comforted, patting Bonnie's back, "c'mon, I'm pretty sure Ash didn't mean to upset you about your burnt poffins."

"Yeah, sorry Bonnie. I didn't mean it at all." Ash sympathized.

"NO!" Bonnie sobbed, "It's not, _*sniff*_ because you _*sniff*_ said _*sniff*_ my Poffins suck, _*sniff*_ It's because I... _*sniff*_ I... _*sniff*_ I..."

"Why? Because what?" Clemont asked, puzzled.

"*sniff* I miss her... *sniff* I MISS SERENA!" she yelped.

Upon hearing this, Ash and Clemont's faces negatively changed. Tears started slowly running down Clemont's left eye. Slowly but progressively, the crying got more intense, and soon, Ash, Clemont, and Bonnie were crying their eyes out, soon joined by their Pokémon.

"I... don't know what to say..._ *sniff*"_ Clemont stated. "Now that Serena's going out of our lives soon, I just feel, _*sniff* _**so** empty now..." For the rest of lunch, nobody dared say a word.

Ash called his mother that night as well.

"Well, I feel bad for what's been going on down there," scolded Mrs. Ketchum, "But you shouldn't have run off like that! You could've at least tell me what you were planning to do in the first place!"

"I'm know, and I'm sorry, mom," Ash miserably said. "I don't know what I was thinking."

"I understand honey, but you have to control your emotions! You're going to end up killing someone soon!" Mrs. Ketchum then went from worried, to calm. "Look, let me tell you about the time I divorced from your father..." she began.

"No thanks, I think I'll pass." Ash said, obviously depressed, as he hung up the phone for the night.

* * *

That night, Ash couldn't sleep. Too many thoughts clouded his mind.

_'Maybe Serena isn't really going to die. Maybe this is a all just a bad dream. Maybe...'_

After what happened at the hospital, Ash felt more reason to feel bad,

"_This girl loved me, and she never got a chance to fully express her emotions... I just wish, there was more time..." _Ash didn't sleep until 12:00 AM that night.

* * *

The next day, Ash woke up to the pounding of his bedroom door, and Pikachu's shouting.

"PIKA!" yelled Pikachu, in obvious distress.

"ASH! ASH!" a voice hollered from outside. "WAKE UP! WAKE UP!"

Ash rubbed his eyes and looked at his bedside clock. 10:00 AM. Great. He had overslept.

Ash opened the door. Bonnie and Clemont were standing outside, looking very glum and depressed.

"Clemont! Bonnie! What's up?"

"Ash!" sobbed Bonnie, as she rushed into the arms of Ash, crying.

"What's going on?" Ash asked, curiously.

"I never thought I was going to say this," Clemont started, a tear coming down his eye, taking a deep breath,

"Serena... is dead..."

_She's dead._


	4. Chapter 4

_OMG. I **bet** most of you freaked out when you read that last line in Chapter 3._

_As always, enjoy!_

* * *

Chapter 4: Pain

_Serena is dead. _Those three words echoed in Ash's mind. No... it couldn't be... Maybe she lived... Maybe the doctors didn't check her pulse correctly, maybe she instantly recovered, but those three words echoed constantly inside his head.

It would've been expected of Ash to cry at this point, but, to everyone's surprise, he stood silent.

His hat above his eyes, he called for Pikachu. "Pikachu, let's go for a walk."

"Pii?" asked Pikachu, and both of them left, passing a distraught Clemont and Bonnie.

"Well, kiddo, we should find a way to calm down as well." said Clemont, as he patted Bonnie's back.

"I _*sniff*_ miss her already." weeped Bonnie.

"I know kiddo," said Clemont sorrowfully, "I know."

* * *

Ash found himself on top of Prism Tower, with Pikachu right beside him. This particular morning was blustery morning, almost enough to actually blow someone on the top off the tower.

_'Might as well do it.'_ thought Ash. _'What's the point of life anymore, the woman I love is gone.'_

The last time he jumped off this tower, was after Pikachu had fallen off the tower when Ash and his Pokémon went to the top to confront a rogue Garchomp, under control by Team Rocket. Ash and Pikachu could've died if they hadn't been saved by Blaziken Mask and his Mega Blaziken.

But this time, was different.

_'Nobody's going to save my ass this time.'_ Ash muttered to himself.

* * *

Since Clemont and Bonnie were trying to distract themselves from their friend's sudden death, they had tried everything.

Clemont and Bonnie tried to look at photographs, but it would only bring back bad memories. Why? Serena already got into most of their pictures! They tried television, but any advertising of clothes or soap operas would immediately cause the two of them to swell up.

"Screw this." Clemont said harshly, "I'm switching to the news."

Once Clemont switched to the news channel, Bonnie's jaw dropped.

The newscast was a pan shot on Prism Tower. The header stated: 'Unknown person is on top of Prism Tower, unknown intentions, possibly suicidal.' Then the camera zoomed in on the face of the Pokémon trainer, with black hair, and a white and blue jacket. Everyone knew who was on that tower immediately.

"OH MY GOSH!" The newscaster was shocked. "Isn't that the ten year old boy who stopped that Garchomp attack last year?"

"It might be, it might be." the Anchor panicked.

Bonnie switched the television off and she and Clemont started sobbing. Now another one of their friends was about to disappear from the face of the Earth.

"I'm going out to walk, too." Bonnie said, as she cried on the way out.

* * *

"Oh my!" yelled someone from below, "He's gonna jump!"

"Somebody stop him!" a woman hollered.

Police raided the Prism Tower, and before Ash knew it, an Officer Jenny showed up behind him, with a Manectric.

"You sure you're considering this, kid?" yelled Officer Jenny in a microphone.

"YES," shouted Ash, in tears. "AND NO ONE'S GOING TO THINK ABOUT TRYING TO STOP ME!"

"Pika-Pii! (Stop, Ash!)" cried Pikachu, concerned he might jump. Officer Jenny radioed the Police Chief from below using a transponder.

"This is Niner-niner, to Alpha. Subject not cooperative, prepared to taze him?"

"Okay, Niner-niner. Be sure he makes it to our station unharmed and alive."

"Copy that." Officer Jenny prepared, as she commanded her Manectric: "ALRIGHT MANECTRIC! USE THUNDERBOLT ON THAT KID!"

"PIKACHU! COUNTER THE THUNDERBOLT SO I CAN JUMP!" yelled Ash. Pikachu did not dare obey.

"Pika. (No.)", Pikachu said sadly.

Manectric sent waves of electric force towards Ash, and Ash almost jumped, but the shocks came from behind.

"GEEEEYAYAYAYAAAYAYYAAYAYA!" Ash hollered in a shock of electrocution. He collapsed on the base, allowing Officer Jenny to be left with enough time to subdue him, pin him to the ground, and cuff him.

"Remember to take his Pokémon." stated the Chief via radio. "I hate to see what that Pikachu is going through right now."

"Copy that." Officer Jenny responded, as she checked Ash's pockets for Poké Balls, and took Pikachu in her arms and stroked him.

"Poor little guy." she concerned with great sympathy. "What do I do with you?"

Bonnie, who had just seen the scenario unfold, rushed back home.

* * *

"CLEMONT! CLEMONT!" Bonnie ran inside, yelling for Clemont. He was sitting watching the news, in shock.

"And it seems, as, Yes! the police have managed to get control of the suicidal kid on top of Prism Tower." said the Newscaster. "Here's Lumiose City Police Chief Blaine Thomas on the news.

"Thank you," said Chief Thomas as he appeared on the screen. "We have the subject in the car, identified as a ten-year old Kanto native named Ash Ketchum, well known for stopping that Garchomp attack last year in Lumiose City. It seems his reason for being on the tower was attempted suicide, and as you know, that is an offence here in Kalos, but our subject is too young to face any sort of penalty, so we will have to take him in, and see what the guardian or parent has to do to deal with him. Back to you."

Clemont shut off the television. "Dammit." he muttered.

Just then, Limone, Clemont and Bonnie's father, came into the room, back from work, in obvious distress.

"I heard the news about your friend from work." he said in disbelief, "I never thought your friend had suicidal tendencies."

"He doesn't." Clemont said. "But today's an exception."

"Well, I guess if his parent is in Kanto," said Limone, "I guess I'll have to see him as his guardian."

* * *

_O_O Another Shock!_

_**MY GOD**, this story is getting darker and darker._

_See you in Chapter 5!_


	5. Chapter 5

_**NOTE:** If you get emotional during high emotional scenes in movies, There is going to be a SUPER OVERLOAD of emotion running in this chapter. **Be warned!**_

* * *

Chapter 5: Emotions Run High

Back in a slow moving, small town like Pallet Town, Delia Ketchum was doing the dishes while absentmindedly listening to the television, when the Morning News came on.

**"Good morning, Kanto!" shouted the serious looking newscaster. "It's me, Skyler Stars, and you're watching Kanto News Network. Today's morning news... We're just getting word that a ten year old boy has attempted to jump off Prism Tower in Lumiose City early this morning, only to be stopped by authorities. The boy has been identified as Ash Ketchum..."**

_Smash! _Upon hearing Ash's name, Delia had dropped the dish she was cleansing, which had shattered into pieces. Without cleaning the shards of china up, Delia rushed over to the TV and watched the whole story.

**"...the same boy who was known to most people in Kalos, as the savior of Lumiose City, where he stopped an angry Garchomp controlled by a terrorist organization a year earlier." **

"Jesus Christ." Delia muttered, as she watched more. Then, KNN showed a visual camera on police chief Blaine Thomas of Lumiose.

**"So, how did they find the boy up there?" the reporter asked.**

**"Well," Chief Thomas began, "we were originally got a call from an onlooker, and we just sent four or five police cruisers. Then, one of our Officers, Jenny, decided to go up and talk to the boy herself. I didn't want to argue with her, being one of our most respected officer in the force for years. I didn't really see what happened up there. From what I was told, Officer Jenny tased the boy after the boy was not cooperating, then we subdued and cuffed him.**

"Jesus." Delia said again, as she turned off the TV, "He's ten! It's not like he's like a criminal! And WHAT did they say they did to him?!"

She packed up her belongings, and headed out the door. "Someone's gotta stop this madness."

* * *

"I KNOW, I'm not his legal guardian! But that boy is a friend of my kids, and his mother is in Kanto! Therefore, I am the closest adult he can contact, and therefore is MY responsibility!" shouted a distraught Limone to Officer Jenny, who was sitting back in her office chair.

"Sir, please calm down," Officer Jenny stated firmly. "and let's settle this in a calm state of mind."

"YOU THINK I CAN CALM DOWN?" shouted Limone, almost about to yell Jenny's police cap off, "You tased AND cuffed a boy who did NOTHING to attack you, he just wanted to end his life at that young age! You police have NO empathy outside following the rules!"

"He commanded his Pikachu to attack me after I was going to tase him!"

"Oh, sure. IN SELF DEFENCE!" Limone was REALLY angry now.

"Why is this any of YOUR concern? You're only a man this 'Ketchup' kid knows!" yelled Officer Jenny.

* * *

Outside the office, Clemont and Bonnie were sitting outside the Police Station. Bonnie was scratching Dedenne's cheeks, and Clemont was toying with a new gadget he was wiring.

Bonnie listened in, one ear pointing towards the door. "Brother! I think Daddy is angry with the nice police officer!"

"She's _'Nice'_ because she gave you a lollipop." Clemont added sarcastically. "That's the same officer that electrocuted Ash."

"Speaking of Ash," Bonnie interrupted, "Where is he?"

"I dunno." Clemont answered. "Something about an interrogation room or something..."

"What's that?" asked Bonnie.

"How am I supposed to know!" snapped Clemont, "I'm only ten!" Bonnie started weeping. After realizing what he had done, he remorsefully patted Bonnie's back.

"Oh, I'm so sorry, Bonnie, it's just, you know, with Serena dead, and Ash arrested, I don't... I guess... I don't know who to turn to next," he stuttered, full of sorrow. "I always wanted a friend. But since I was a nerd, only interested in technology, nobody wanted to be my friend. That was before I met Ash and Serena. They were the ones I admired, always having the determination to go far, but now they're gone..."

"I know," Bonnie whimpered, "I feel the same way too. What do we do?"

Bonnie continued to stay in her older brother's arms.

* * *

As the argument between Limone and Officer Jenny heated up, the phone started to go off, from downstairs in the receptions.

"Excuse me," Officer Jenny interrupted, "Is there anything you need?"

"Madam, there's a woman down here who wants to meet with you. Should I send her up?" the receptionist asked.

"Yes," she continued, "Send her up. I'm finished with this pig up here."

"HEY!" shouted Limone, in anger.

A minute later, a woman with brown eyes and brown hair curled up in a ponytail opened the door to Jenny's office. This, was Delia Ketchum.

"Hello. And you are?" Jenny began.

"Delia Ketchum." Mrs. Ketchum confirmed.

"Oh, then you must be the boy's mother." Jenny took out her hand. "Officer Jenny Wilkins."

"I know." Mrs. Ketchum said. Then she remembered why she was here. "What did you do to my son?"

"Ex- Excuse... me?" stuttered Jenny. Arguing with Limone was one story, but arguing with Delia Ketchum... was a whole book of issues.

"May I ask WHY you electrocuted AND handcuffed my son?" asked Mrs. Ketchum sarcastically. "That's a endangerment to my own son."

"HE PROVOKED ME," snapped Jenny.

"NO HE DID NOT," screamed Delia. "FIRST OFF, HE DIDN'T ATTACK YOU IN ANY WAY, AND SECONDLY, GIVE MY SON A FREAKING BREAK! HIS FRIEND DIED TODAY, SO GOD!"

"Oh." whispered Officer Jenny.

All stayed silent for a few seconds. Then, Officer Jenny slumped into her office chair, and buried her head into her desk, sobbing.

"I'm sorry..." Delia apologized, but Officer Jenny cut her off.

"No," Jenny sobbed. "It's my fault. I did all that stuff to your son. I was so focused on the law and all those criminals, I forgot the number one Police motto: 'Serve and Protect.' I failed to serve you guys, and I failed to protect your son from harm. Limone was right. Us cops have no empathy for human beings."

"Me?" Limone asked cluelessly, "I was right?"

"If there's anything I can do to make up for this, please just say what it is." begged Jenny.

Delia pondered about what to ask for, then she said,

"Just take me to my son."

* * *

Officer Jenny led Mrs. Ketchum to the underground floor of the station, which felt dingy and dark.

"This place feels more like a prison." Delia noted.

"Ah, yeah." Officer Jenny responded. "They never got to renovate this room. Budget costs."

The female officer lead Mrs. Ketchum into a room, blocked with an opaque door. The interrogation room.

"I have to guard this door, just for security reasons," Jenny explained. "That's okay with you?"

"Sure. Thanks for everything." replied Mrs. Ketchum.

"No, thank you." Jenny replied.

* * *

Ash had been lying on the couch of the room for a while. He had been all alone in this room. He had been hauled into this room for a break. All he did was cover his eyes with hands and started crying in fear and sadness.

When Mrs. Ketchum opened the door, Ash looked up for a sec to see who it was, and when he saw who it was, he covered his face into the couch. He tried to avoided her, worried of his mother's disapproval.

"You're here to tell me what a bad son I am," Ash sniffed. "what kind of an idiot I am. You're hear to tell me that you wished for a girl, and not me. All I do is do stupid things, all I..."

"Ash, who said these things?" Delia pondered.

"I don't know," Ash muttered, "wasn't that the point of coming here? You were coming here to nag me about stupid I was to be thinking about suicide?"

"No, Ash." soothed Delia calmly, as she proceeded to sit down on the couch with Ash, and stroking his hair. "Why would I be mad about that?"

"Because I am an idiot for thinking about suicide." stated Ash.

"Oh, Ashy..." Delia said calmly. "I understand. You lost one of your friends. It must be deeply depressing."

"No, mom." Ash explained. "She was more than that to me."

Ash began to explain the events of yesterday, and what happened before the suicide attempt.

"I see." Delia was shocked, but she stayed calm. "You feel heartbroken as you weren't able to keep Serena happy."

"I guess..." Ash said, a bit shy and embarrassed about telling his mother.

"Well," Delia said. "Sometimes, life throws you those curveballs. Life always crashes down on you when you least expect it. You can't change life."

"I know."

But in Ash's mind, he wondered, _'Was it impossible to change life?'_

* * *

_Boy, this is my longest chapter ever! I think I'll make longer chapters now!_


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter 6: The First Dream

Ash was almost dead in Clemont and Bonnie's guest room that night. Crying heavily into his pillow, his Pikachu crawled over to Ash to comfort him. But nothing would calm him. He had gone totally psycho after the re-occurring events today.

He had gotten his Pokemon back, and had been lead out of the Police Station. His mom left back to Kanto.

* * *

_"Are you sure you don't want me to stay a bit longer?" Delia asked, with much empathy._

_"I'm sure," Ash explained, "I'm ten now, I guess I'm old enough to channel my own emotions."_

_"Okay, Ash." Delia said, as she patted her son's back. "Here." __She handed Ash a weird looking blue device, with a wide screen and two buttons on its sides._

_"What's this?" Ash asked._

_"It's the newest Poke-gear." Delia said. "So we can stay in touch. If anything happens, just call."_

_"Thanks mom." Ash smiled a little, something he hadn't done in a few days. He suddenly leaped into his mother's arms, and didn't let go__._

* * *

As Ash stayed in bed for a while, he felt his heart exit his body, and he couldn't sleep. A pool of liquid dried on the bed came from his eyes, as he started to fall asleep, silently and softly. Soon, he was locked in a deep dream.

* * *

_Ash found himself laid down in a grassy field, surrounded by fog._

_"Where..." Ash asked in shock, "...am I?"_

_Panicking, he tried to make his way through the field around him, lost in confusion and panic. As he was left searching for direction, something caught his eye._

_It looked as though another human being, just a similar size as him, was in the distance. As he pursued the figure in the mist, as he got closer and closer, the grassy field began a downward slope, he tumbled down the hill and rolled down, sending himself airborne, where he finally landed face-first at the bottom._

_'Ow..." Ash moaned, feeling his forehead for any cuts or bruises. As the dark figure stalled in the middle of the empty field, the grassy, green field began to disappear under Ash's feet!_

_Ash braced himself to fall, seeing as though no ground to support him was underneath him, however, he stayed with legs frozen in the air, as if the ground underneath were invisible. Suddenly, the setting changed._

_He was on the base of a mountain, where he saw, on the ledge of a cliff, a figure with long, brunette hair, with white shorts and a white shirt. It was obviously a girl, but Ash couldn't tell, as he hadn't seen her face yet. However, he did notice something..._

_"She looks so familiar..." _

_Glimpsing toward the figure, Ash saw it slowly walking closer and closer to the ledge. As she got closer and closer to ledge, Ash yelped, as it seemed she were committing suicide! However, this conception was wrong, as she took two steps and was hovering over the air. She continuously took steps over the invisible floor that supported her._

_Ash decided to chase the figure down, but as he took his first steps off the ledge, expecting an invisible floor to support him, Ash felt his foot sink in, as he began to arch his body, falling from the natural force of gravity._

_"AAAAAAAAA!" Ash yelled, but as he began falling..._

_'Beep, Beep, Beep,' a noise sounded._

* * *

Beep. Beep. Beep.

Arousing and rubbing his eyes, Ash blinked repeatedly only to see himself awake in Bonnie and Clemont's residence. He peeked at the time. 7:00 AM. He had awoken a few hours too soon. Ash looked to his left. Pikachu was still asleep, curled up into his arms.

Carefully petting Pikachu, he took his jeans, and his blue and white jacket. He quickly slid on his jeans, but was as quiet as a Clefairy, as not to wake anybody else up. Just as he slipped his jacket on, as well as flopping his hat onto his head, Ash headed out the door, hands in his pockets.

As he walked on the sidewalk, he thought of the dream that very night.

_Why did that dream feel so... weird? I swear, what was that dream about? _Ash wondered, as he continued walking towards the Northern Boulevard. As Ash turned the corner, a taxi pulled up to him, as the driver rolled out the window.

He wore a blue hat, with dark sunglasses, with a beard to match. "Hey, kid! Remember your promise two days ago?" Ash couldn't recall what the man was talking about, for a few seconds, his mind tried to click into place, thinking about what happened those two days ago, then he remembered.

"Oh right," Ash blankly stated, "You're that driver-man who wanted to challenge me to a battle!"

"That's correct," the driver smirked, as he got out of his car. "Although I feel the term 'driver-man' is a bit inappropriate for this time... Feel free to call me Connor, or Cons, as the people 'round these places like to call me."

Connor gave out his hand to Ash, which Ash shook gently. "So, how's your friend doing?"

"Dead." Ash replied coldly. The easygoing, care-free expression of Connor changed to a concerned, sad face.

"So sorry 'bout that..."

"Don't be," Ash said, harshly. "You weren't in charge of her suffering." In a state of shock, Connor was taken aback.

"We can postpone the battle for later if you..."

"NO!" shouted Ash, however, realizing he was shouting, replied, "I mean, I would kindly like to battle you, Connor."

"Okay..." accepted Connor.

* * *

The battleground was set in the park, which seemed all too familiar for Ash. This was the same ground he had battled in a year earlier, when he first met Bonnie and Clemont.

"So are you ready?" shouted Connor from the other end of the field.

Ash took out a Pokeball out of his pocket, ready to throw. "Ready when you are!"

"Okay then," Connor took precise aim of his Pokeball, ready to go. "Okay, Musharna! It's your time to GO!"

The Pokeball released a beam of light, revealing the purple Psychic Pokemon inside. "Musharna!" it cried.

"Alrighty then, time to win!" Ash pumped his fist in the air, as he threw the Pokeball like a baseball pitcher's fiery pitch. "Greninja, I choose you!"

A beam of light withdrew from Pokeball, with Greninja inside. "Greninja!"

With both Pokemon withdrawn, the two trainers locked eyes, preparing for the other to strike first. Then, Connor broke the silence.

"Alright," Connor commanded, "Musharna, use Psybeam!" A wave of brightly coloured lights flashed toward Greninja, with Ash quickly reacting to this sudden attack.

"Greninja, DODGE IT!" yelled Ash.

Greninja swiftly jumped out of the blast, which surely would've dealt great damage.

"Alright, it's our turn!" Ash thought hard about what move to use, then he executed, "ALRIGHT GRENINJA! Use Water Shuriken!"

Greninja swiftly threw two throwing stars at Musharna, while Musharna tried to dodge the two, the stars came too quickly, and hit it right in the chest area. Musharna got up slowly, trying to recover. When it got back up, ready to attack, Connor complimented it.

"Good girl!" Connor yelled. "Alright, now use Dazzling Gleam!"

"A Fairy-type move..." Ash muttered to himself. "DODGE IT!"

As Greninja tried to jump, a flash expanded over Musharna, hitting Greninja and leaving it dazed.

"NO!"

"Ha! You forgot Dark types are weak to Fairy types!" said Connor. "Alright, now use Slam!" Musharna started charging towards Greninja.

"GRENINJA!" commanded Ash, "Dodge!"

Greninja snapped out of its trance, and yet again, it swiftly jumped out of the view, barely missing the huge body of Musharna. However, Musharna wasn't able to stop. And it was barreling... right towards Ash.

Ash was caught off guard, just the force of a Pokemon slamming right into him. He was thrown back, after feeling full force hit him, and pink smoke spewed out of Musharna's spout and clouded all around him.

"Ash!" yelled Connor. He ran towards the pink smoke, and when the pink mist began to clear up, Ash was coughing and wheezing the smoke out of his system.

"I'm so sorry, Ash," apologized Connor. "Are you alright?"

Ash was getting drowsy, but he managed to finish his sentence. "Just... take me... back to Clemont's..."

Ash felt all support of his body gone, as he was knocked unconscious, and slipped into the arms of the driver.

"Oh my goodness! What do I do!" Connor panicked. "Wait, he said something about the gym leader's house. I'll go there!"

He recalled his Musharna back into its Pokeball, as well as Ash's Greninja, and began the rather difficult task of hauling Ash's inactive body into his taxi. He carried the body and slumped it into the rear seat of the taxi. Grabbing his keys, Connor started the car, and sped towards the house.

Little did Connor know, Ash was in the middle of another dream...

* * *

**A/N: **_My god, it's been FOREVER since I uploaded a chapter for Dream Mist! Please forgive me!_


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter 7: The Dream Mist

As Connor sped towards the house of Limone and his family, thoughts rushed his head as he pushed the black taxi to the maximum. Ash was still in comatose position, lying on both seats, snoring, whilst around his face, the pink mist engulfed his face, making it a bright pink colour.

Connor started driving quickly, at the same time looking at his GPS for the directions to the house, and tried to locate it, with no avail.

"Damn..." pouted Connor, trying to think of other alternatives. "I'll bring him to a Pokemon Center. That's the most logical thing to do."

Connor began to drive towards the Pokemon Center, the giant glass-domed building peaking over the buildings of Lumiose. As he came to a sudden brake in front of the center, Connor hastily began to unbuckle his seatbelt, and proceeded to open the car's back door, and hauled Ash on his shoulders. Every step made Connor inch as slow as a Torterra, especially when hauling a soon-to-be eleven year old up the steps.

As the door opened, the Nurse Joy of Lumiose looked up to see the man panting heavily, burdened by Ash on his shoulders. As Connor slumped Ash down onto Nurse Joy's desk, he leaned on her desk, he tried to ask for a simple question, but found himself panting heavily while he was asking.

"He..." said Connor, exhausted from the flight of stairs he'd just encountered, "Just check *pant* him *pant* out, *pant* please."

Nurse Joy summoned one of her Wigglytuff for a stretcher. As Nurse Joy transported Ash to the nursing room, she began discussing to Connor about Ash's condition.

"So do you know what it is?"

"I dunno," Nurse Joy replied, "It's definitely not from anything I've seen in all my years of medical school. What caused him to go into this state?" Connor then explained all the details of the battle to the young nurse, and Ash's collision with Musharna.

"I see..," Nurse Joy stated, as she examined Ash's state. As she scanned his facial area and xrayed his brain, she made a shocking discovery. "Ah! There seems to be an excessive amount of pink mist hovering around his head. It may have come from Musharna when he inhaled the mist it spewed out."

Then, Nurse Joy remembered, "Ah! I know somebody who specializes in this kind of area! Luckily for us, she's having a tour of Kalos this week." She picked up the phone and started dialing, while Connor looked on toward Ash's comatose state.

"Hello," Nurse Joy spoke, "It's Nurse Joy. Oh, of Lumiose City! Oh, sorry, I often forget! Always slips my mind... Anyways, we've got a human patient with some condition linking to a Pink Mist. Yeah, can you come examine it? Where are you right now? Oh, great! Well, see you then, bye!"

As Nurse Joy hung up, she said to Connor, "Good news, the specialist is right here in Lumiose and should come over in a few minutes."

After a few minutes, through the doors, a woman with long flowing black hair, with light futuristic glasses with a long, white lab coat which was about the same distance long, entered. She greeted Nurse Joy at the entrance formally.

"Nice to see you again, Prof," greeted Nurse Joy, "The patient's in here," she added, as the two entered the steel, circular-windowed doors heading to the infirmary.

As Connor watched Ash from Ash's checkup bed, Connor's attention shifted to the two women who had just entered the door.

"Connor, meet Professor Fennel," Joy greeted with glee, "a professor who specializes in the field of the relationship between the Pokemon World and Dreams."

"Nice to meet you," Connor said, as his big hand shook Fennel's smaller hand firmly. Then, everyone's attention shifted to Ash on the bed, where Fennel quickly began her examination of Ash's comatose position.

"Wait, isn't that Ash Ketchum?" Fennel noticed.

"You..." Connor stuttered, "...know him?"

"I remember him when he and a couple friends took a trip to Unova." Fennel explained, where she then began inspecting Ash's vital regions, making sure they were intact, then observing the x-ray images of Ash's powder consumed nervous system.

"Hmm..." Fennel pondered, "It's not like anything that I've seen before. For one thing, dream mist affects Pokemon and puts them to sleep, but _very rarely_ will it affect an actual human being. I don't know how it'll go, but I'll try to operate on it. Go Munna!" Fennel sent out a Pokemon from one of her Poke balls, where a Pink Munna popped out.

"Munna!"

"Alright Munna!" called Fennel, "Use Dream Eater!" Munna attempted to suck out the mist through Ash's nostrils, but only small teaspoons worth of the pink powder was consumed by the Dream Eater Pokemon.w

"Hmm..," thought Fennel, "We may have to implant a vacuum into his nerves to suck out the powder." The thought of operation made Connor shiver.

Fennel dug out a small, white needle from her medium sized, brown, carry-on bag. Within it, was a syringe filled with a glistening, clear blue liquid.

"What is that?" questioned Connor. The thought of a ten year old doing this kind of surgery made him feel queasy, but he had the heart to gesture otherwise. Fennel then proceeded to inject the needle mid-neck into Ash's soft, tender skin.

"A Pokemon sleeping potion," Fennel quickly responded. "It's gonna keep him asleep for a while longer, just enough time to finish the operation."

She then continued, "Go call the parents, and leave me here alone with the boy." Connor obeyed, as he rushed out to Nurse Joy to inform Clemont and Bonnie, without correction or hesitation.

Fennel then found herself alone with an unconscious Ash, sighing in relief.

* * *

_Ash found himself in a realization that was all too familiar. A green and grassy patch, except less foggy than before._

_"Why am I back here again?" he wondered, as he began trying to survey the landscape around him, trying to reveal his sense of direction. Then, a certain landform caught his eye. Heading north of the field was a lush green forest full of evergreen trees, which made Ash go through his previous memories of this forest. He had remembered that every day, after school was out, Ash would go exploring within the canopy of these trees, searching for new Pokemon to 'find'. Ash's memories were instantly revived. Good memories, finally upon him, after what had happened recently, he barely had had any good memories._

_Slowly, Ash picked up the pace, red sneakers pressed firmly into the green, fertile grassland. Every step made him tremble, as his eyes peeled towards the forest ahead of him, forgetting anything around him, entranced by the vision of the landform, peaking over the grassy and dull ground._

_Soon, Ash found himself weaving through the green and tall trees, each hunched together very closely, rattling and stepping over the bushes covered in abundant, green bushes. As Ash tromped through the leaves and fallen branches, his eyes caught a grey object in the middle of the forest. _

_It was a giant boulder, sitting in a section of the forest whose ground wasn't covered by fallen branches and small green plants. As Ash approached the big boulder, he realized that somebody was standing on the branch, and shining on the rock. It was the same figure from the previous dream, the one with the long brown hair that he couldn't see! This time, he could observe without any obstruction in the way._

_The girl, wearing a black dress, sitting down as her skirt swayed in the wind, also had unmistakably long brown hair, where a small end of her hair was tied in a brown bun. Before the figure turned, Ash knew exactly who it was, and didn't need to see her face to know who it was._

_Serena._

_As the girl turned to see the boy standing behind her, her sapphire eyes glistened in the sunlight, and her emotions changed to sheer joy by seeing him. Serena hopped off the rock and embraced Ash in a hug, squeezing him like she never squeezed him before._

_"Oh, Ash," Serena said sweetly, "Isn't this beautiful? A place where we can express our thoughts and emotions, and only the two of us can get to."_

_"What... ...do you mean?" stammered Ash._

_"This isn't your dream?" Serena asked, puzzled, "This is the Dream World, after all! YOUR Dream World!"_

_"Hmm...," Ash tried to place his finger and recollect what was happening. "Are you real, or just a piece of my imagination?"_

_"Oh, I am quite real," Serena beamed. "I seem to have gained some powers on the way too." She snapped her fingers, and suddenly, Ash realized there was no ground underneath him to support his feet. Ash began dropping to the forces of gravity and braced himself for the fall, however, something grabbed onto him. Serena grabbed onto his arm tightly, and hauled him._

_"How are you still hovering?" Ash asked._

_"I don't know! I'll explain the story on the way!" Serena giggled, as she snapped her fingers again. The scene changed to a stone alter, where several stone arches stood erect in the middle of a plain and grassy field._

_Later, the two began a small talk, sitting on top of a stone arch._

_"So how did you get here Serena?" Ash confusingly asked, "I don't know where I am or what is even happening."_

_"I don't know either." Serena replied, "I just woke up on a grassy field and found myself with these powers. I spent quite a while here, and I felt lonely until you came. I figured out later, after seeing you, that I was in your dream." She blushed and put a hand over her mouth, then looked away very sadly._

_"What's wrong?" Ash asked, noticing her sad reactions.  
_

_"I miss all my friends, my mom, Clemont, Bonnie, everyone, while I'm stuck in here in this world." Serena sniffled, as Ash rested an arm around her back. The two of them cuddled next to each other in a warm embrace. It was all silent for a few moments, what seemed to last an eternity, which, then, Serena broke the silence._

_"Ash."_

_"Yeah?"_

_"You know, everything I said in the hospital that day? I really meant it."_

_"I know."_

_Soon, the two found themselves staring at each other, eying the other and looking at the other's beauty. Soon, they were face to face, and as Serena leaned in to give Ash a kiss..._

* * *

Ash suddenly woke up, dazed and confused. Lodged in his throat, he also felt a vacuum. Fennel's Dream Mist Vacuum.

"Mph..." Ash managed to mumble, just as Fennel realized it, walking over to him.

"Oh, hi Ash!" Fennel said, "remember me?"

Ash gave her the simple 'thumbs up.' "Mmph mmph mpph mpph?"

"What?" Fennel asked, confused, "Oh, if you're wondering, you were consumed with a bunch of powdery dream mist in your central nervous system. We cleared it up, and that explains the vacuum running down your throat."

"MMPH! MPPH!" Ash tried to scream, but it was useless.

He didn't want to be cured.

* * *

**END OF ACT 1**

* * *

**A/N:** _There's Act 1! WHEW! AFTER FOREVER I UPLOAD! Well, I have some great news! This Friday, **Act 1: Dreams **(Chapters 1-7) will be on Serebii Forums! It will be a slightly edited version with better dialogue! Stay tuned, as Act 2: Love will be out soon! Thanks for following!_


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